In honor of the London suburb of Slough, where I was earlier this week. Betjeman’s 1937 poem is a great protest against the ugliness of modern industrialization and bad urban planning. Ricky Gervais did a hilarious reading—with satirical commentary—as David Brent in the original version of “The Office”.

Slough

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!
It isn’t fit for humans now,
There isn’t grass to graze a cow.
Swarm over, Death!

4 Responses to “Poetry Saturdays: John Betjeman”

The format of this is beautiful. I love how it pulls you along with the first three lines of each stanza, then stops you and slows you down for the fourth line to add that extra weight and emphasis. And he paints such a vivid, uncomfortable picture.

I’m going to share this with friends who are in urban design/planning, architecture, landscape architecture, master planning etc..
It seems this poem is especially directed at those who created the town…

Love John Betjeman. I remember seeing a documentary in the UK about him when he was very old, in a wheelchair, and the interviewer asked him if he had any regrets. There was a pause, and we’re all waiting for some profound poetic statement, and Betjeman laughs and says, ‘I wish I’d had more sex.’ That’s always stayed with me.